Shoppers only just realising what SPAR supermarkets’ name means

SPAR has been a popular supermarket among many British shoppers for several decades nine decades, yet some of them are just realising what the name actually means. The UK welcomed its first SPAR store in the 1950s.

A traveller raised a question on Quora: “Why are SPAR supermarkets called DESPAR in Italy?". Founded in 1932 by Adriaan van Well, the Dutch multinational franchise has grown to over 13,900 stores in 48 countries, catering to 14.7 million customers each day. The first branded store debuted in the Netherlands under the name DESPAR - styled as DE SPAR - an acronym crafted by van Well to embody the brand's founding slogan.

According to a statement on SPAR's website: "It was initially launched as DESPAR, an acronym of a slogan created by van Well to describe the organisation: Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig, which translates into English as All Benefit from Joint Co-operation Regularly."

They explained: "A simple yet powerful philosophy inspired van Well – independent wholesalers and retailers can achieve more by working together than working alone.

Over time, the SPAR brand has extended its presence, serving the needs of local communities across four continents to become the world’s local food store of choice."

The company opted to shorten its brand name in the 1940s, prior to its European expansion, reports The Mirror.

A statement explains: "SPAR International was established in 1953 to support and develop the SPAR brand and voluntary food retail network growth globally.

"Mr Van Well was the first President of the International SPAR Board, and he set up SPAR International with an office and management team in Amsterdam. The United Kingdom became a member of the organisation in 1956 when SPAR International granted the SPAR licence to a group of independent wholesalers."

They added: "SPAR UK comprises independently owned licensed retailers and company-owned stores. These include forecourts, airports, train stations, city centres, and local neighbourhood stores. "

Explaining the reason behind the change, a Quora user responded:"When the company was founded in the Netherlands it was originally called Despar.

"Later when they expanded across Europe some countries shortened the name to Spar but Italy retained the original name. To English speakers Despar looks too close to "despair" but to Italian speakers, it doesn't have this problem."